Oftentimes I get asked by students if they have such and such condition, should they avoid certain poses. There is no cut and dry answer.

Numbness, tingling, and pain (sharp, dull, throbbing, etc.) are indicators to stop. Always. These are sensations that the nervous system is sending that something is not right in your body. Continuing to do whatever is causing the sensations over time can cause more damage.

Yoga is a phenomenal tool to help with pain and dysfunction. On the same hand, it can also worsen conditions if we push through and ignore what our body is telling us. We have a long history in our society to push through, do more, get things done, ignore our full bladder, work through lunch, etc. that we have literally learned to disconnect from our bodies innate wisdom.

My first and most important goal as a teacher is to help people (especially women) learn how to be kinder and gentler to themselves. Learn to hear your body speak to you and honor what it is saying. This is crucial to self awareness – and really, that is why we practice yoga.

As far as avoiding any poses or doing more of certain poses – the answer is it depends. For example: not all sciatica has the same cause or sypmtomology. It can be caused by bulging disc, piriformis syndrome, pelvic misalignment, congenital development, etc. If a pose causes sensations of numbness, tingling, or pain don’t do it. You can always modify. If down dog, for example, causes any of the aforementioned sensations, modify with a chair, at the wall, on forearms, in table top, etc.

You may have some days down dog feels great, you may have days your body says, “Hey you this isn’t happening.” Great. Your life isn’t going to be any better or worse if you are able to do down dog or not. The important thing to remember in all of this is to honor where you are.

We have all had different experiences in our lives. Different injuries, traumas, dramas, and sometimes just built different from each other. So while yoga can be for everyone, not all yoga is one size fits all. Create a practice that fits you rather than you trying to fit the practice.

Same goes for finding a teacher. Not all yoga teachers are the right fit for you. I encourage my students to try many teachers and many styles. Sometimes when dealing with injuries, a private yoga teacher may be helpful in helping you to know what is and isn’t right for you. (That’s me 😉 )

Let’s be honest, growing older is challenging. Our bodies don’t work the way they used to. Heck, they don’t look like they used to either.

Along the way we may have been told to “put your life on hold until the kids finish school,” “be realistic,” “stop being selfish,” “work through your lunch break,” and other things that eventually left us out of touch with our dreams, desires, and selves.

When we don’t put our needs first, we begin to silence the inner voice that helps us navigate life. When we continually do this for years, we start to feel flat and life stops being exciting.

There are some great things about aging, however. Our vast experiences, our ability to look back, reflect on the past and grow. This is where I can be of help.

I help women reclaim their joy and find more ease in life. I teach them to tap into their intuition and use that to create what they want in their life instead of settling for what might happen to show up.

I also teach them how to move their body so that it supports them with less pain and tantrums longer into life. I’m not here to offer a quick fix. We all got to where we are now after decades of improper mechanics, poor posture, and silencing our inner knowing. We can’t change it overnight, but week after week small adjustments start to add up to big changes. Life starts responding with more ease and joy.

Without further adieu, welcome. Please take a peek around my site. After you’ve explored, drop me a note – I would love to hear your thoughts and learn how I can help you reconnect with yourSelf.

Whether you are going to a group yoga class or a Private Yoga Session, it is important to dress appropriately.

These tips will help you dress for success and avoid any uncomfortable wardrobe malfunctions.

Bottoms. Simply wearing them may not be enough. Have you done a bend-over check in a mirror? Make sure the length of your shorts adequately covers what needs to be covered and that when bending over your leggings don’t become see thru – especially if you are going commando.

Undergarments. Are meant to be worn under your clothing. This keep parts and bits from falling out of your clothes and onto your mat. Yes, I have seen it happen.

Tops. Do a lean over check in front of a mirror. Make sure that everything stays tucked in your sports top and that if you have chosen to ban the bra, that your shirt doesn’t gap and show too much. Gentlemen, if you are in a co-ed room and there are not other men shirtless, keep your shirt on.

Middle. If you raise your arms overhead does your shirt expose your midsection? If you are in down dog will your shirt roll up all the way under your chin?You may be comfortable showing a little skin, but your teacher or other class mates may not feel the same.

Toes. Yoga is generally practiced barefoot. If you prefer to keep your socks on you may, although you may find certain poses a little more “slippery” than others. If you have a foot condition that requires you to keep your shoes on, please bring shoes reserved for solely yoga in reverence to the studio space.

Perfume, smoke, or other heavy scents. None. Allergies and comfort are a big concern. Leave your Chanel No. 5 for a night out if you must.

Remember in yoga you will be in many various poses and movements and gravity works on clothing just like everything else. Be respectful of everyone’s comfort and right to feel safe – especially in a co-ed environment. Wardrobe malfunctions can and do happen in yoga, if they are perceived as intentional they could be considered sexual harassment.

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.

Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY“.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me.

Today I call it “RESPECT“.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.

Today I call it “MATURITY“.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment, so I could be calm.

Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE“.

As I began to love myself I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.

Today I call it “SIMPLICITY“.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything the drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.

Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF“.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time.

Today I discovered that is “MODESTY“.

As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening.

Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT“.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally.

Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART“.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born.

I have learned that the best connections come from being vulnerable. While it may seem like those around us have so much going for them, there is always more to the story. Let me share some of my story with you.

In 2010, I was trapped in an unfulfilling marriage that was rapidly deteriorating, stuck for 10 years in a stress filled and demanding corporate job which I hated. I felt my purpose in life was to keep it together at all costs. I worked to keep all appearances of a happy family and to keep a smile on my face while dreading waking up every morning. The costs to me were suffering from debilitating migraines, chronic back pain, and full-fledged stop everything panic attacks. I could not function without being medicated, – and even that was just getting me through the motions. I was dead inside. I found myself turning to alcohol and drugs to kill any emotions that were left.

One of my care providers suggested I take yoga. In that first class I caught a glimpse of the real me I had lost over the previous decade. I found something that lit the spark back into my soul. In that very first class, I knew my life would forever be changed. Over the next few months with regular practice, my pain became controlled, my migraines more infrequent, and I was able to become medication free. The steadiness and ease that I found inside myself carried me gracefully through a divorce, sending my only child off to college, and then into leaving a ten-year career. Through the skills I learned, I found courage to start helping others to re-ignite their own spark deep inside of their soul.

I am now an International Yoga Life Coach, Teacher, and Speaker helping women all over the world to live in happiness.

I would love to hear from you and learn what your best life looks like and how I can help you get there.

We are within a week of the season change. While we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring here in Minnesota, not everyone is transitioning smoothly. I have had several clients over the past couple of weeks complain about not being able to sleep. The energetics of the season change are much to blame.

In Ayurveda, the elements of air and ether have been with us throughout the fall and winter. What this does is increase vata. When we are out of balance in vata, we wake after 2 am and find it difficult to fall back asleep. We may also find ourselves sleeping lightly and restless so when we wake, we feel as though we have hardly slept. When Vata is out of balance, we may experience restless, disjointed thoughts, become forgetful, and perhaps, experience fear and anxiety throughout the day.

So, what can you do to help sleep better? Applying vata reducing guidelines and following the laws of the Ayurvedic clock can help.

How to Combat a Vata Sleep Imbalance at Bedtime:

Avoid too much stimulation at night. This includes electronics. Try going “screen-free” for 90 minutes before night-night time.

Take a warm bath infused with fennel, orange, and tulsi oil.

Try hot almond milk with any or all of the following: chopped dates, coconut flakes, cardamom, ginger, or honey.

Before going to bed, rub your feet with warm sesame oil (sesame oil can stain – be sure to use old socks to protect your sheets.)

Try Alternate Nostril Breathing for five minutes. Breathe in through the left nostril and out through the right, closing the opposite one.

Follow this with 30 seconds of Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) by taking full, deep breaths like a bellows in and out through your nose, using your full lung capacity. Afterward, do a minute of meditation. Repeat this until your agitating thoughts subside.

If you wake in the middle of the night, get up and have chamomile tea. Don’t just lie there thinking.

Schedule your day so you can eat three warm, cooked meals, with the biggest meal at noon. Eat dinner before 7:00 p.m., so it has time to digest before bed.

Go to bed well before 10 pm., if possible by 9:30. This allows you to use the sleepy, duller Kapha time of night to help you fall asleep.

Use practices like a grounding yoga sequence, meditation, and Yoga Nidra to reduce mental worries or mental stress in your life.

Because we are approaching the change from vata (air and ether) to kapha (earth and water), we are smack dab in the middle of what we call a “glitch” in Ayurveda. It’s like a big speed bump when the characteristics and imbalances in the doshas are most noticeable.

If you are either having trouble falling asleep or you are waking up before 2 a.m. and can’t get back to sleep for several hours, you may be experiencing a Pitta imbalance, read more about pitta here.

Want to learn more? My upcoming course: Ayurveda 101 will teach you how the elements affect us and how to live in balance and ease. Be the first to hear when registration is open by signing up for email updates.

Want customized recommendations? Email me to learn more about one-on-one Private Yoga Sessions to get personalized Ayurvedic recommendations and yoga sequences that help you live better. Email me to learn more!

While it is true that yoga helps you become more flexible, helps your balance, your coordination, and helps you become stronger, the true transformation happens inside. Yoga is a practice of self-awareness. It helps you to peel away the layers and to meet the ‘real’ you. Not your thoughts, not your story, not everyone else’s version or expectations of you. There is a part of each of us that is so powerful and so full of wisdom but it is hidden underneath all of this ‘stuff’ that we have, over time, come to accept as ‘who we are.’

I help people find the truth of who they are. Working in a one on one environment allows me to tailor your private yoga sessions specifically to you, your needs, and your goals. There is no competition in a private yoga environment. No need to wonder if you are “doing it right” while feeling lost in a yoga class. You get my 100% undivided attention and years of yoga teaching experience to help you.

The reality is – change is scary. But staying stuck is even scarier. I talk to people all the time who tell me they aren’t flexible enough to do yoga or they have an old injury or they are too heavy. A good majority of my clients are women in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s who are overweight and have physical limitations. You wouldn’t tell me you are too dirty to take a shower, so why would you say to yourself your aren’t flexible enough for yoga? Or your mind is too busy to meditate? Those are the reasons we do yoga and meditate! To quiet the mind and become more flexible in how we see things. This is where the transformation happens.

I want to help you find your true Self. I know you have a hundred reasons not to and a thousand questions. You are not your thoughts, you are not your story, and most importantly, you are not your fears. You are something far more, and it is time for you to shine!

40 Things I Have Learned in 40 Years part 2

21. Stop caring what ‘they’ say. It is much more fun and fulfilling to create things that passionately leap forward and need to escape from you than forcing yourself to create what you think they want to hear. When you are coming from a place that honors your passions and desires, what you bring to the world is authentic and connects with people on a deeper level. 22. Ignoring yourself is a form of neglect. As a recovering people pleaser, it is important for me to remember that the person I hurt by not being true to my needs and desires is me. 23. It isn’t the ‘thing’ we want, it’s the feeling that the ‘thing’ will bring us. When I talk with clients, they all have different goals they want to achieve. get out of debt, go back to school, start a business, make more money, travel, etc. But when we really distill their desires down, I find there is just a small handful of feelings that lie behind all of the desires. Freedom, Adventure, Fulfillment. 24. Sit quietly with yourself daily. The busier and the noisier we are, the more disconnected we become from our inner voice, our desires, and our truth. The gift of meditation offers you an opportunity to meet your true self.25. The way to getting what you want is to be grateful for what you already have. Gratitude is the soil that cultivates your intentions and desires. Be thankful for everything that you have in your life, and those gifts will begin to multiply.26. You are enough. The limiting self talk that says you are too fat, too thin, too short, too tall, to quiet, too loud, too old, too young, is complete bullshit. You are perfect just the way you are, and you have something to bring to this world to make it a better place.27. Live life your way. This keeps coming up over an over for me in different variations, but it is an important point. Don’t live your life or make choices based on what you think your sisters’ mothers’ uncles’ neighbors’ pastor might think. #1, you are assuming you know what they think, and #2, what they think doesn’t matter. Sometimes we have people in our lives that think they know what is best for us, bear in mind that what they think is based on the life they lived and quite possibly the regrets they have. You have a different reality and experience than they do.28. Everyone on this planet is looking for the same thing – happiness. Theirs probably looks different than yours. Some people may wish to live in a huge house in the mountains. Others may dream of a small hut near the ocean (me!) Each of us have an individual definition of our own happiness. Keeping up with the Jones’s or doing something just because society says you should is a sure fire way to feel flat and disappointed in life. An example may be buying the big home in the mountains with a 30 year mortgage, but having to work so many hours to afford the house that you are never home to enjoy it. 29. Sometimes there is no reason why or a deeper meaning. Sometimes shit just happens. You can get so caught up in trying to “figure out” what the significance is to something, that you get stuck in your head and forget to be in your heart space.30. There is nothing wrong with me. I am not broken or in need of being fixed. This can be a big deal in a spiritual journey. We can self help ourselves to death. Ever find yourself in the aisle of the bookstore where you can be dependent no more, learn to relate to you mate all while flushing the fat. Sometimes we forget to remember that a spiritual journey is one where we are meeting our true nature. Not one where we need to “fix” what we perceive as bad.31. I am perfectly imperfect as I am. So difficult to accept, but so beautifully true.32. Self inquiry and self realization are life long practices. There is always another layer and another facet to explore. It’s like showering, you don’t shower once and are good for the rest of your life. We have experiences and relationships and each one shows us new information about our Self and an opportunity to continue to grow.33. Creativity is what I am, not what I do or achieve. Every day we create. We create our outfit, our meals, our route to work, our entertainment, and even our dreams. We are creating all of the time. 34. Inspiration always comes when I am furthest from my desk. Because of #34. When I stop trying, I am my essence – which is creative.35. Eat chocolate. If something makes you happy don’t deny yourself a little pleasure once in awhile. 36. You wont get to your destination of you try to plan each detail. Instead trust that the next step will appear. When you use your GPS to get somewhere, the GPS doesn’t tell you the next turn until you are almost there. If you insist on planning every detail, you may miss some wonderful and unexpected opportunities and detours into beautiful places that you never knew existed. Be open to the divine plan.37. Fear is the cock blocker of dreams. We can always measure what we may loose by going after our dreams. What we can’t measure is what we may gain. Our subconscious uses fear as a way to “protect” us from the unknown. Interestingly, fear and excitement have the same physiologic response in the body. When we breathe into the fear, and trust the journey to our dreams, we shift that fear to excitement.38. Life is too short to live anywhere but the present. So many of us spend so much time worrying about the future, or reliving that past, that we miss life. Life only happens in the present moment. Participate in it!39. Other people’s actions, opinions, and words have nothing to do with me. Their actions are based entirely on their experiences, judgements, and perhaps regrets. The only person’s approval that matters is our own. 40. I am only just beginning! I have heard so many people talk about turning 40 like it was a curse. With all of my experiences, I see this as the start of the best part of my life — so far!

Thanks for joining me in my musings as I reflected on the last 40 years. Here’s to the next 40!

I recently celebrated my 40th birthday. I also recently spent a month off of work and recovering from surgery. I had a lot of time to slow down and reflect and during that time, I came up with 40 things I have learned in 40 years:

Constantly searching outside of you is like telling yourself “You are not good enough.”

5. A strong conviction in your belief has more of an impact than having a loud voice.

If you want to change the world, be the kind of leader that people want to walk side by side with.

6. Rules are meant to be guidelines.

Don’t be so rigid in the expectations you put on yourself. Instead of saying “I don’t ______.” try saying, “I choose to _________” and make it a practice versus a rule.

7. Less is more.

Having less belongings free up energy and time needed to care for, maintain, or clean the objects.

8. Make everyday a special occasion.

Life is too short to use your China only once a year. Celebrate everyday.

9. Listen to your heart.

Your head doesn’t have any answers and your heart doesn’t have any questions.

10. Make decisions by listening to your body.

You are full of infinite wisdom. When faced with a decision, bring your awareness inwards and ask yourself, “Does this feel heavy or does it feel light?” Go with the answer that makes you feel light and expansive.

11. Self care is not a luxury – it is a must.

You can not offer to others what you don’t already have yourself. If you are not getting enough rest, nutrition, or tending to your daily practices like meditation, you are not in a healthy place to support others. (Same as #2 in this list)

12. Spend time doing what you love.

It will replenish you. The things you love are your passion. Stifling your passion smothers your soul and instead of happiness you find yourself merely surviving.

13. Spend money on experiences not things.

Experiences help you grow, things can weigh you down.

14. Busy-ness is self abuse, not a badge of honor.

Being busy is a way to keep you from meeting your true yourself and keeps your heart closed to people and experiences.

15. Your thoughts and actions create your reality.

You have so much more power in creating the world around you than you can imagine. What you focus on truly does grow.

16. It is ok to be spiritual and say fuck.

Being spiritual is being in tune with your feelings. If your feel like the word fuck expresses what you are feeling, by all means say what you feel. (Although the Thanksgiving dinner table with your 84 year old Catholic grandmother, may not be the best place to express this feeling. True story.)

17. Your words have power.

Are you constantly telling yourself: “you have to,” “you should,” “you need to”? What would happen, instead, if you “chose to,” or “got to”?

Be aware of the words you use and the tone of your inner voice. Would you speak to others the way you speak to yourself? Be gentle.

20. Spend time in nature.

Nature teaches us a lot about ourselves. It shows us how we are a part of a much bigger picture than our job, relationships, challenges. It is a place where we can learn to just be and connect with our true nature.